Anyone else's curiousity piqued by the Moby Dick prequel "In the Heart of the Sea"?

Bartleby was the first millennial.

not particular wrote:

Bartleby was the first millennial.

Proof:

A waste of my time, just more drivel about scumbag fisherman along the lines of a Perfect Storm or that TV series Deadliest Catch.

Yes me wrote:

I'm intrigued by it because it's such a great classic. And I know it's cliche, but honestly I can't imagine any cinematic production to be better than the actual book. My experience has always been, the better the book, the more disappointing is the movie.

Herman Melville > Ron Howard

WHAT?!?!? What is actually good about the book Moby Dick? It was the worst read of my adult life. As has already been pointed out it is slow dribble about whaling with probably 20 total pages of story. What part of it did you find so great to make it a good book? I honestly can't say there was any of it I truly enjoyed reading.

Excellent book. Way better than Moby Dick. I have read both.

The book is an outstanding read. I am not sure the movie can come close to it, but I will probably see it. I would also recommend Philbrick's Sea of Glory. Tedious? I think the book really builds on it self and is anything but.

I often wonder this about a lot of the "classics" of literature that are what you might call "difficult" reads: if the book wasn't famous, and you just happened to discover the only copy of it lying around in your attic, would you still think it was so amazing?

I've read Moby Dick, and found it sort of interesting, and sort of hard work, but I have to admit, I only consider it a masterpiece because I've been told that's what it is. Some literary classics I have read are obviously works of genius, but some I have to take other people's word for it. I'd put Moby Dick in the latter category.

But the best thing about Moby Dick is that it inspired this Mastodon song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsdIO8RHMTc

Mark Mendoza wrote:

But the best thing about Moby Dick is that it inspired this Mastodon song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsdIO8RHMTc

Not as epic as the Godzilla --land+sea leviathan-- inspired song by Blue Oyster Cult.

Mark Mendoza wrote:

I often wonder this about a lot of the "classics" of literature that are what you might call "difficult" reads: if the book wasn't famous, and you just happened to discover the only copy of it lying around in your attic, would you still think it was so amazing?

I've read Moby Dick, and found it sort of interesting, and sort of hard work, but I have to admit, I only consider it a masterpiece because I've been told that's what it is. Some literary classics I have read are obviously works of genius, but some I have to take other people's word for it. I'd put Moby Dick in the latter category.

I am totally open to your reasoning, but I honestly consider Moby Dick one of the best books I have ever read. I read a good amount and I actually do like a lot of classics. I didn't find Moby Dick to be very challenging. Not because I think I'm smart or something, but that it truly kept my interest the whole time. I loved it.

Now, I am still trying to figure out why Infinite Jest is highly praised. I suffered through that one and while I enjoyed many parts of it, I couldn't get the "brevity is the soul of wit" quote out of my mind...

Its like anything... You might think The White Album is a masterpiece and I might choose Green Mind. A lot of it is subjective, but with Moby Dick, he takes so much detail and description and crafts a beautiful tale. If I have any criticism to offer, it is that the ending seems rushed, like he wronte this great book and his publisher was like, "I need it RIGHT now!" and he just adds a half-a$$ed epilogue and hands it over.

I do love Moby Dick. If I found it on a beach and had never heard of it, I would still love it. Not 100% sure why, but it is a personal favorite that has nothing to do with it being famous.

Malmo, my curiosity is piqued as to why you spelled it "curiousity." Perhaps you were in a hurry.

Ostridger wrote:

Malmo, my curiosity is piqued as to why you spelled it "curiousity." Perhaps you were in a hurry.

Not in a hurry at all. Just missed one of those wonderful conundrums of the Engish language (curious, viscous, generous, monstrous, etc, etc, etc). Go ahead, pat yourself on the back. Treat yourself to a Fresca. You deserve it.

malmo wrote:

Ostridger wrote:

Malmo, my curiosity is piqued as to why you spelled it "curiousity." Perhaps you were in a hurry.

Not in a hurry at all. Just missed one of those wonderful conundrums of the Engish language (curious, viscous, generous, monstrous, etc, etc, etc). Go ahead, pat yourself on the back. Treat yourself to a Fresca. You deserve it.

I am not sure I have ever had the pleasure of imbibing a Fresca, but I appreciate the approbation, however tongue in cheek. I might add that I have noticed that there have been times when using an iPad that the machine seemed extremely insistent that I either misspell a word or utilize a different word entirely. Do not intend to hijack the thread...

Ostridger wrote:

Malmo, my curiosity is piqued as to why you spelled it "curiousity." Perhaps you were in a hurry.

At least his curiosity wasn't peaked or peeked.

XC Worker wrote:

[quote]Mark Mendoza wrote:

Its like anything... You might think The White Album is a masterpiece and I might choose Green Mind.

BOTH are good albums...but I haven't thought of Green Mind is a long time. The White Album, on the other hand, seems to resonate through time & space (that Dinosaur Jr. doesn't). Is that like difference between a good book & a classic?

The Fresca thing was a line from Cadd6shack.

I have never seen Caddyshack nor have I had a Fresca, so perhaps it is time for a bucket list.

Here it is, presumably:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDFCL5Oiqk0

There's a great American Experience documentary about whaling called Into the Deep with lots of history on the Essex and Herman Melville. I ended up reading both Moby Dick and Into the Sea after watching it. I can't wait to see the movie, I hope it lives up to the book.

The only thing Moby Dick really borrowed from the story of the Essex was the idea of a whale ramming a ship to pieces; other than that, it's a totally different story. The Essex story is more about the survival and cannibalism after the ship sinks.